The Mysterious Heir

Chapter 12, Book 1, "Down the trapdoor"

In the years to come, Harry will never quite remember how he managed to get through his exams when he half expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment. Yet the days creep by, and there is no doubt that Fluffy is still alive and well behind the locked door.

It's sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they do their written papers. They have been given special, new quills for the exams, which have been bewitched with an Anti-Cheating spell.

They have practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick calls them one by one into his class to see if they can make a pineapple tap-dance across a desk. Professor McGonagall watches them turn a mouse into a snuffbox - points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it has whiskers. Snape makes them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they try to ironically remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion.

Harry does the best he can, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his forehead, which has been bothering him ever since his trip into the forest. Neville thinks Harry has a bad case of exam nerves because Harry can't sleep, but the truth is that Harry keeps being woken up by his old nightmare, except that it's now worse than ever because there is a hooded figure dripping blood in it.

Maybe it was because they didn't see what Harry saw in the forest, or because they don't have scars burning on their foreheads, but Ron, and Hermione don't seem as worried about the Stone as Harry. The idea of Voldemort certainly scares them, but he doesn't keep visiting them in dreams, and they are so busy with their studying they don't have much time to fret about what Snape or anyone else might be up to.

Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizard who'd invented self-stirring cauldrons and they'd be free, for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Harry couldn't help cheering with the rest.

"I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager," Hermione sighs, sounding a little disappointed as they join the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds.

Hermione likes to go through their exam papers afterward, but Ron says this makes him feel ill, so they wander down to the lake and flop under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan are tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows, while Polaris watches in the distance.

"No more studying," Ron sighs happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet."

Harry rubs his forehead.

"I wish I knew what this means!" he bursts out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting - it's happened before, but never as often as this."

"Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggests.

"I'm not ill," says Harry. "I think it's a warning...it means danger's coming...."

Ron can't get worked up, it's too hot.

"Harry, relax, Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down."